Window-cleaner.



Patented 'Au'g. 7, |900.

Simen z Llmo WASHINGTON Nrrnn STATES yPntinnvr Ormea.

SIMEON C. LAVLOR, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

WINDOW-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,366, dated August '7, 1900. I

Application tiled May 16, 1900. Serial No. 16,882I (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.- Be it known that I, SIMEON C. LAwLoR, citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Window-Cleaners;

Y and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in windowcleaners, land particularlyV to that class of such devices in whichV the outer surface of the window may be cleaned by'a person operating inside the house, whereby the exposure and danger of falling from the window-sill is avoided, the object of the invention being to provide an improved device of this class in which the desired operations may be performed in the least possible time and with the least possible expenditure of labor.

With this object in view the invention consists in an improved window-cleaner of this class the construction, arrangement, and combination of the parts of which will be hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view on a plane cutting through the hollow standard or column parallel with the window-pane looking inward. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, on a vertical plane cutting transversely through the hollow standard and the window-pane, part of the standard being broken away to shorten the iigure.Y Fig. 3 is a transverse or horizontal sectional view through the brush-carrier and standard, the brush being broken away. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical longitudinal sectional view through one end of the means for securing the device in the window-frame, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the adj listing-nut of the securing mechanism.

Like numerals mark the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 6 indicates a hollow vertical standard or column which maybe open or closed, as desired, at the top and which is preferably enlarged at the bottom, as at 7, and provided on one side with a longitudinal bead 8. Mounted to slide vertically on the standard 6 is a frame 9, provided with av roller 10 to bear against the column diametrically opposite to the bead 8, and a spool-roller 11 to bear against said bead to facilitate the down-and-up movement of the frame on the standard. Projecting inward horizontally from the frame 9 is a tube 12, having its inner end closed and on its outer end a screw-cap 12, perforated to permit of the introduction of the rod or bar 13, which carries at its outer end a box 14, which 'forms the body of a brush, said brushbeing illustrated as being provided with bristles 15, although it might'be provided with Sponges, rubber teeth, or other cleansing devices. The rod 13 is held normally in its extended position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, by means of a spring 16 in the tube 12, thereby pressing the brush yieldingly against the outer surface of the window-pane 17.

The cord 13 is secured tothe upper side of the frame 9 and passes over a grooved pulley 19 in the top ofthe standard and thence down to a windlass or spool-pulley 20, journaled in the base '7 of the column, to which windlass the cord 18 is secured. A spring 21 is arranged to cause the windlass 20 to rotate in the proper direction to wind the cord 18 thereupon, and thus maintain the brush-carrying frame 19 normally in its upper position. A cord 22 is secured to the lower side of the frame 9 and passes down and under a pulley 23, from whence, it is carried'to a hand-windlass 24,'provided with a crank 25,-whereby the said cord 22 may be wound upon the windlass 24 to draw the brush-'carrying frame 9 downward against the action of the springactuated windlass 20. If desired, the end of the cord which is illustrated as connected with the windlass 24 may be left free and provided with a ring or handle whereby it may be operated by hand.v

The windlass 24 is mounted upon a horizontal arm or tube 26, secured to and projecting inward from the base 7 of the column 6, said arm being designed to rest upon the windowsill in position tobring the standard 6 outside of the window-sash and the windlass 24 inside the same. To the arm 26 is secured a sleeve 27, through which is made a horizontali opening at right angles to the general direction of the said arm. A tube 28 is itted slidably in said horizontal opening, and at each end of said tube is slidably seated a threaded bolt, as at 29 and 30, provided with heads 3l and 32 on their outer ends and normally held in their extended positions by springs 33 and 34, having their outer bearings against the heads 31 and 32 and their inner bearings against nuts 35 and 36, which bear against the outer ends of the tube 28. These nuts 35 and 36 are duplicates of each other, one of them being illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. Each of the said nuts consists of a pair of jaws 37 and 38, each provided with a semicircular recess, as at 39 and 40, so that when the two jaws are brought together there is formed between them a circular aperture provided with an interior thread to fit upon the threads of the bolts 29 and 30. Arms 4l and 42 extend from the sides of the jaws 37 and 38 beyond the hinge 43, by whichsaid jaws are connected, said arms being held normally in their outer positions to normally hold the jaws in their closed positions by means of a spring 44. If desired, a hose 45, leading from any suitable' supply of Water under pressure, may be connected up with the hollow brush-body 14 in order to supply a continuous iiow of water to vthe brush.

In the operation of the invention the, device is placed upon the window-sill with the standard 6 outside and the tube 28 beneath the window-sash or between the window side frames. The outward pressure of the springs 33 and 34 will cause the bolts 29 and 30 to press against the opposite sides ot' the window-frame, and for the purpose of better holding them in position the heads of the bolts may be provided with rubber tips 46 and 47 to bear against the frame, which tips will also prevent the bolt-heads from scratching or otherwise injuring the wood of the frame. When the tube 28 is placed in position and the bolts 29 and 30 pressed outward, the arms 41 and 42 of the nuts 35 and 36 may be pressed together sufciently to separate the jaws 37 and 38 of the nuts just enough to release their threads from the threads of the bolts. The springs 33 and 34 will then force the nuts 35 and 36 inward against the ends of the tube 28, when the arms 41 and 42 may be released, causing the threads of the nuts to again engage the threads of the bolts. The nuts 35 and 36 may then be turned slightly, which, by reason of their bearing against the outer ends of the tube 28, will force the bolts 29 and 30 positively outward, thus securely clamping the tube and bolts between the opposite sides of the window-frame and securing a tirm support for the hollow standard. By winding or unwinding the cord 22 by means of the crank 25 or by drawing the cord outward and allowing it to pass again inward by hand the frame 9, carrying the brush,willbe alternately drawn downward by the cord 22 and drawn upward bythe action of the spring-actuated windlass 20, thus giving to the brush the proper vertical movement over the window-pane. As the operation progresses the standard and its arm 26 will be moved laterally on the tube 28, so as to continuously change the position of the brush laterally and eventually operate on every portion of the outer surface of the glass.

It will be observed that the person operating the device will thus be permitted to stand within the room while operating the brush on the outside of the glass and that the brush will bev continuously kept in yielding contact with the glass by the spring 16. The provision of the divided .nuts 35 and 36 admits of the device being quickly and rigidly secured in the window and as quicklyremoved therefrom.

lVhile I have illustrated and described specifically1 the construction of the various parts, I desire it to be understood that slight changes might be made therein without d'eparting from the spirit and scope of the invention--as, for instance, solid nuts, with or without milled peripheries, might be substituted for the divided nuts, or the upright standard 6 might be made of a dierent shape in cross-section, or the friction spoolroller might be omitted, or thesprings 33 and 34 might be omitted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in a window-cleaner,- of a hollow standard, a grooved pulley jour naled in the upper end thereof, a grooved pulley and a spring-actuated windlass journaled at the base of the standard, a frame slidably mounted upon the vertical standard and carrying a brush, a cord secured to the spring-actuated windlass passing over the upper pulley and secured to the upper side of the brush-frame, and a cord secured to the lower side of the brush-frame and passing under the lower grooved pulley, substantially as described, l

2. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a vertical standard, a frame slidably mounted thereon, means for reciprocating the frame on the standard, a brush carried by the frame, a spring for maintaining the brush in yielding contact with the window-glass, a horizontal tube upon which the standard is mounted to slide laterally, and means for securing the horizontal tube in the window-frame, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a brush provided with a hollow body,means for vertically and horizontally reciprocating the brush, and a exible tube connected with the hollow brush-body to supply it vwith water under pressure,substantially as described.

4. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a Vertical standard, a brush-carrying frame mounted to slide vertically thereon, a horizontal arm secured to the vertical standard, a sleeve on said arm provided with a trans# verse opening, a tube mounted in said transloo' IIG

verse opening, and means for rigidly securing the tube between the sides of the windowframe, substantiallyT as described.

5. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a horizontal tube, threaded bolts slidably mounted in the outer ends of said tube,springs between the ends of the tube and the heads of the bolts for normally pressing the said heads outward into contact with the windowframe, a standard slidably mounted upon said tube, a brush mounted on the standard, and means for vertically reciprocating the brush ou the standard, substantially as described.

G. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a horizontal tube, a vertical brush-carrying standard mounted thereon, threaded bolts slidably mounted in the outer ends of the tube, nuts on said bolts adjacent to the ends of the tube, and springs on said bolts for normally pressing their heads outward into contact with the sides of the window-frame, substantially as described.

7. The combination in a window-cleaner,

CAQ.

of a horizontal tubular support, a brush carA rying and operating mechanism slidably mounted on said tube, threaded bolts slidably mounted in the ends of said tube, and normally-closed divided nuts mounted on said bolts adjacent the ends of the tubular support, substantially as described.

8. The combination in a window-cleaner, of a horizontal tube, a brush carrying and operating mechanism slidably mounted thereon, threaded bolts slidably mounted in the ends of the tube, normally-closed divided nuts mounted on said bolts adjacent to the ends of the tube, and springs upon the bolts for normally pressing them outward into Contact with the sides of the window-frame, substan= tially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SIMEON C. LAWLOR. Witnesses: v

` JAMES T. WATSON,

H. G. GARHART. 

